Pricey prescriptions and nagging medical costs are swamping some insurers and employers, which means patients may start paying more next year. Health insurance will grow more expensive in many corners of the market in 2026, and some coverage may shrink. That could leave patients exposed to more costs for doctor visits and prescription coverage changes. Price changes could be especially stark in individual coverage marketplaces, where insurers also are predicting the end of some government support that helps people buy coverage. Expensive gene therapies and diabetes and obesity treatments are pressuring prescription coverage.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order setting a 30-day deadline for drugmakers to lower the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. or face new limits down the road over what the government will pay. The Republican president's order Monday calls on the health department to broker new price tags for drugs. If deals are not reached, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be tasked with developing a rule tying the price the U.S. pays for medications to lower prices paid by other countries. The nation's pharmaceutical lobby calls Trump's order a "bad deal" for American patients. Drugmakers argue threats to their profits could impact research to develop new drugs.

People with private health insurance would be able to pick up over-the-counter methods like condoms, the "morning after" pill and birth control pills for free under a new rule the White House proposed on Monday. Without a doctor's prescription, women may pay as much as $50 for "morning after" pills. And women who delay buying the medication in order to get a doctor's prescription could jeopardize the pill's effectiveness, since it is most likely to prevent a pregnancy within 72 hours after sex. The new rule would also require insurers to fully bear the cost of the once-a-day Opill, the only FDA-approved over-the-counter birth control pill.

Taxpayers are expected to save billions after the Biden administration inked deals with pharmaceutical companies to knock down the list prices for 10 of Medicare's costliest drugs. But how much older Americans can expect to save when they fill a prescription at their local pharmacy remains unclear, since the list cost isn't the final price people pay. The list prices of drugs including blood thinners, diabetes drugs and blood cancer medications will be reduced by hundreds — in some cases, thousands — of dollars for 30-day supplies. White House officials say they expect taxpayers to save $6 billion and older adults could save about $1.5 billion in total. The new prices won't go into effect until 2026.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new $56,000-a-year Alzheimer's medication that's leading to one of the biggest increases ever in Medicare premiums is high…